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When an idealistic IBM programmer named Elliott heard Tom Watson Jr, the powerful chairman of IBM, testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that America’s war effort in Vietnam was poorly managed, Elliott felt compelled to react. Elliot wrote Watson a letter that said in short, if you think Vietnam is being mismanaged, how about your own company. Accompanying the letter were 20 pages of detailed suggestions for improvement, touching every part of the mammoth organisation. 2 weeks later, Watson invited him to join for a cup of coffee. However instead of firing Elliot, Watson told him how he was happy that Elliot had the guts to write his letter, and to take the time to make so many insightful suggestions. Elliott was immediately sent to the company’s headquarters in Armonk, New York, to talk to IBM corporate planning staff and start an entirely new career path within the company.

Excerpted from ‘1001 Ways to Take Initiative at Work’ by Bob Nelson